Thailand Elite Long Stay Visa Membership Privileges

[Ronuk]

I have to be honest and say that after 30+ years of Thailand, I have never, ever been asked or felt extorted by anybody from immigration. Yes, it can be frustrating at times trying to get anything done and can mean a bit of running around for what seems a pointless issue but that's absolutely no different to the UK. I firmly believe you get what you sow in Thailand. If your straight you have no issues but try to be underhand and you'll open yourself up for all sorts.

Apart from the occasional 90 day report, I have zero to do with immigration now anyway and am through the airport in 10 minutes. I have a direct number 24/7 to TE and they very quickly arrange via email my arrival and departure with no dramas. It's actually a pleasure arriving and departing Thailand.

I'm 57 but 100% would never go back to a retirement extension. The PE visa is far to easy and worry free to even consider it. I'm living here and coming and going as I please just like I would be in London. No rentry permits, no seasoning of funds etc. For anybody wanting to stay here long-term or travel in and out of Thailand on a regular basis, the TE program is fantastic. I love it.

[lkn]

4 hours ago, Ronuk said:

After 13 years and successive governments, nobody has lost anything or been asked to pay a single baht more for there original plan.

 

I read somewhere that the original members (who got lifetime membership for one million baht) got a choice in 2011-13 about maybe changed benefits and/or a yearly fee. Can someone with knowledge about this please explain exactly what this was about?

 

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, lkn said:

 

I read somewhere that the original members (who got lifetime membership for one million baht) got a choice in 2011-13 about maybe changed benefits and/or a yearly fee. Can someone with knowledge about this please explain exactly what this was about?

 

Perhaps it was when the PE visa that allows one year entries became available. Prior to that they only got 90 day entries. I think they made an offer to change to the 20 year membership to get the PE visa but not aware of all the details.

[gerry1011]

18 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Perhaps it was when the PE visa that allows one year entries became available. Prior to that they only got 90 day entries. I think they made an offer to change to the 20 year membership to get the PE visa but not aware of all the details.
 

 

Indeed.

The "founding members", who bought the lifetime membership for 1 million baht, have been offered the option to switch to the "new" 20 years membership.

The only difference is the PE visa (instead of SE) that comes with the one year stamp each time the member enters the country.

The members could switch to the new membership at no cost, the 20 years starting at the time the member would actually switch, and the yearly fee is waived.

I am one of the members who switched to the new 20 years membership. Even if I travel quite much, I thought that the one year stamp was cool
I guess I will make better use of the stamp when I get older and travel less...


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[returnofthailand]

what can I do? . soon I will be 50. do I need to fork out 500k at this Elite visa.?

this is several years I m in Thailand with a tourist visa. I have a great life considering I live in a high rise building with all amenities for less 8000k a month(rent + food+ scooter) I don't even understand how I can do that. most guys I know need 10x more for same life style.

[ubonjoe]

4 hours ago, returnofthailand said:

what can I do? . soon I will be 50. do I need to fork out 500k at this Elite visa.?

this is several years I m in Thailand with a tourist visa. I have a great life considering I live in a high rise building with all amenities for less 8000k a month(rent + food+ scooter) I don't even understand how I can do that. most guys I know need 10x more for same life style.

 

Not really sure what you are asking about.

Once you are 50 years old you can apply for an extension of stay based upon retirement. You will need 800k baht in a Thai bank or proof of 65k baht income or a combination of the 2 totaling 800k baht.

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, returnofthailand said:

so no need Elite visa after 50. the elite visa is not really a Elite visa. it s just a visa for lazy young people will cash to fill the pockets of immigration.
this is why digital nomads don't have to worry. I think the thai immigration like them as long they pay for this Elite visa.
I won't have any problem to place 800k on my Thai bank account. It's around 23000 euro.

 

 

 

You can get the elite visa if you are 50 or over if you want to. There is no age limit.

[elabuelo]

16 minutes ago, returnofthailand said:

so no need Elite visa after 50. the elite visa is not really a Elite visa. it s just a visa for lazy young people will cash to fill the pockets of immigration.
this is why digital nomads don't have to worry. I think the thai immigration like them as long they pay for this Elite visa.
I won't have any problem to place 800k on my Thai bank account. It's around 23000 euro.

 

 

 

How many 'lazy young people' have 500k-1M baht to drop on a visa?

[DUS]

17 minutes ago, returnofthailand said:

so no need Elite visa after 50. the elite visa is not really a Elite visa. it s just a visa for lazy young people will cash to fill the pockets of immigration.
this is why digital nomads don't have to worry. I think the thai immigration like them as long they pay for this Elite visa.
I won't have any problem to place 800k on my Thai bank account. It's around 23000 euro.

 

 

 

 

Isn´t that great news!!!??? Just consider how much money you´ve saved AGAIN, today, by not buying TE. AMAAAAAZING! Just want you needed and wanted! You are such a lucky man! Wow! 5555555

[DUS]

23 minutes ago, returnofthailand said:

I won't have any problem to place 800k on my Thai bank account. It's around 23000 euro.

 

 

 

And here´s another way for you to save a fortune: Get a different broker for your money exchanges since if you pay 23k Euros for 800k TBH then you´re <DELETED> ;-)))))

Edited September 20, 2016 by DUS

[DUS]

6 minutes ago, elabuelo said:

How many 'lazy young people' have 500k-1M baht to drop on a visa?

 

Easy, ... they just live a miserable life like that user and follow his great recommendations in his thread about living like a king for 15k baht a month...... 

 

Ignore him, he´s just a real plonker.....

[Ronuk]

2 hours ago, returnofthailand said:

so no need Elite visa after 50. the elite visa is not really a Elite visa. it s just a visa for lazy young people will cash to fill the pockets of immigration.
this is why digital nomads don't have to worry. I think the thai immigration like them as long they pay for this Elite visa.
I won't have any problem to place 800k on my Thai bank account. It's around 23000 euro.

 

 

 

I saw some Tents under the Sukumvit on my way out of Bangkok last week. I also noticed there is a space or 2 that you'd fit nicely into. I reckon we could cut your spending down at least 60-70% if you moved there. Getting shot of the scooter for a skate board you'd save even more.

 

[tpkhk]

On April 28, 2016 at 8:14 PM, vapianodubai said:

Be careful on that one, the visa is five year only if the passport expires in 5 years or more. A friend has 19 months to go, my girlfriend 3 years and two months, they refuse to transfer the visa to another passport. To put it more correctly, they will match

the length of your visa with the expiration date of your passport. Needless to say, you pay of course for the full five year visa which you do not get in this case.

Thx vapianodubai.  Good to know....and didnt realize it.  Having said that, a few years ago, I applied/changed my passport, a good year or more in advance, simply so that I could have a new visa for the full 5 years.  Not sure if every country allows cancellation well in advance.  Mine had ample pages.... but when I said it was for new visa, embassy didnt put up any issue.

[jgarbo]

On 5/5/2016 at 0:59 PM, dcnx said:

I'm really surprised people who spend that kind of money still have to report to immigration every 90 days with the rest of the riff raff. That's not very "Elite." They should be left alone for the duration of the visa, THAT is Elite. THAT is worth paying for.

A bit OT. On the one yr Retirement non-imm more than 12 yrs now. The 90 day report I fill in and send to immigration at Chaengwattana by certified mail about 2 weeks before due date. Never had a problem. FWIW.    

[Warren6]

Hi,

 

I'm interested in the Elite Easy Access for 500,000. Please may someone confirm the following for me though...

Which is the actual official site, thailandelite.com or thai-elite.com? Because both show as results 1 and 2 in Google when searching for the elite visa. Is thai-elite.com a scam or something, or perhaps just their 2nd site? Bit strange.

Also, please may someone confirm how they paid for their visa? I'm obviously a little worried just sending $15,000 and hoping everything goes smoothly. I'd much prefer to be in Thailand on my 30 day visa exemption (I hold a British passport) and then apply for the elite visa in person whilst in Bangkok or something. Has anyone done this?

 

Thank you

[BritTim]

1 hour ago, Warren6 said:

Hi,

 

I'm interested in the Elite Easy Access for 500,000. Please may someone confirm the following for me though...

Which is the actual official site, thailandelite.com or thai-elite.com? Because both show as results 1 and 2 in Google when searching for the elite visa. Is thai-elite.com a scam or something, or perhaps just their 2nd site? Bit strange.

Also, please may someone confirm how they paid for their visa? I'm obviously a little worried just sending $15,000 and hoping everything goes smoothly. I'd much prefer to be in Thailand on my 30 day visa exemption (I hold a British passport) and then apply for the elite visa in person whilst in Bangkok or something. Has anyone done this?

 

Thank you

The official website is thailandelite.com.

There are a number of indications that suggest thai-elite.com should be avoided:

• The owners of the domain are hidden in the WHOIS results. This does not necessarily imply nefarious activities, but would be unusual with a service like Thailand Elite.
• Their website is hosted outside Thailand (at Weebly). It is almost inconceivable that a site associated with the TAT would use a hosting site of this kind.
• They provide no other way to contact them except via the Contact Form on the website.
• The copyright notice of the website is "Official website of International Sale of Thailand Privilege Card Company Limited".

Note that I do not believe it is a scam (in the sense of being illegal). I think they are taking advantage of a referral program where they get commissions for sales of memberships. Their sales tactics stink!

[Warren6]

Thanks BritTim, what you say makes sense. I remember actually seeing the thai-elite.com site way before the official one was launched. Perhaps just a smart business person ahead of the curve earning commissions? Either way I'll be sure to only take info from thailandelite.com from now.

 

I must say although I really like the principle behind these visas, I think they've gone about it in a very confusing and unnecessarily complex way. I would think the whole thing was a scam if not for others sharing their experiences. And what the heck were they thinking with these options...

 

Elite Ultimate Privilege
Elite Easy Access

Elite Superiority Extension
Elite Family Premium

Elite Privilege Access
Elite Family Alternative
Elite Family Excursion

 

Anyways I'd be interested to hear back from anyone regarding their payment process and how that went, especially those who purchased the Elite Easy Access package

 

Thanks again

Edited June 18, 2017 by Warren6

[BritTim]

Further to what I wrote before, I decided to look at older versions of the website. The Internet Archive has this record of the site as of 20 July 2014: https://web.archive.org/web/20140720110037/http://www.thai-elite.com:80/. I think this from the home page is pretty revealing:

Quote

About Me
Mr Lim Ju Ming, EMBA from Aalto University (previously known as Helsinki School of Economic) is an official Representative Agent (Rep SR 14/004) of Thailand Privilege Card Company Limited, distributing the very unique government level prestige membership known as Thailand Elite Card. This is a marketing site for Thailand Elite Card, it also aim to provide products and services for expats and foreigners to enhance their stay in the Kingdom of Thailand. 

 

[DUS]

4 hours ago, Warren6 said:

Anyways I'd be interested to hear back from anyone regarding their payment process and how that went, especially those who purchased the Elite Easy Access package

 

Thanks again

Once you get approved you will receive a letter with the bank details. I transferred the money in the morning, emailed a scan of the payment slip to my sales contact at TE and a few hours later I received confirmation that they received the money and that was it. A few days later you'll get the welcome letter and with the membership number you can then arrange your meeting at CW. 

 

Very simple process.

 

If you fly into Bangkok I would make the transfer in advance so that you can inform them about your arrival. They will pick you up when you get off the plan, take you to immigration and have your visa affixed then and there. You will then also have the free transfer into town. 

Edited June 19, 2017 by DUS

[kurtmartens]

Does anyone know, what type of visa it is they provide?  Can it be combined with a WP to allow working in Thailand?

[ubonjoe]

1 minute ago, kurtmartens said:

Does anyone know, what type of visa it is they provide?  Can it be combined with a WP to allow working in Thailand?

It is a PE visa that is not a non immigrant visa. You cannot get a work permit.

[kurtmartens]

Just now, ubonjoe said:

It is a PE visa that is not a non immigrant visa. You cannot get a work permit.

Thanks Joe.

[ExpatDraco]

On Reddit I read that it is possible to have the TE Visa transferred to a new passport because your old one is at the end of it's life. Can someone confirm this?

 

Quote from Reddit:

Quote

What happens if your passport expires within the 5 years visa is valid? Do they transfer the visa (for a nominal fee), or require you to get a new one for 500k?

You go with them to Immigration at Chaeng Wattana and they arrange for Immigration to transfer it to your new passport. I'm doing that next month; already discussed it with them in detail. Alternately, if you get your new passport whilst outside of Thailand, they'll take you and your new and old passports (don't forget the old one!) to an Immigration desk at Suvarnabhumi and move it to the new passport on the spot.

 

Edited October 3, 2017 by ExpatDraco

[BritTim]

5 minutes ago, ExpatDraco said:

On Reddit I read that it is possible to have the TE Visa transferred to a new passport because your old one is at the end of it's life. Can someone confirm this?

 

If it works like other visas, you can have the most recent permission to stay transferred, but can only have the visa transferred at the office that originally issued the visa. If you were issued the visa at Chaeng Wattana, I assume you could get them to transfer it. Few would bother. The visa remains valid in the old passport. You just show both the old and new passports on entry into Thailand.

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, BritTim said:

 

If it works like other visas, you can have the most recent permission to stay transferred, but can only have the visa transferred at the office that originally issued the visa. I

I can recall recall reading in one of the Thai Elite topics that Chaeng Wattana will do a new PE visa sticker valid to the date the existing one expires. They are able to do it since they are the ones that issued the original visa.

[BritTim]

A question has occurred to me. Usually, in the case of a lost passport, any visas in the lost passport are lost, and there is no way of getting them reinstated. (This, of course, does not apply to your existing permission to stay or extension thereof.) If you had a Thailand Elite PE (or other) visa, would this still be true? Given the cost, this would make the passport loss even more distressing than usual.

[ubonjoe]

7 minutes ago, BritTim said:

A question has occurred to me. Usually, in the case of a lost passport, any visas in the lost passport are lost, and there is no way of getting them reinstated. (This, of course, does not apply to your existing permission to stay or extension thereof.) If you had a Thailand Elite PE (or other) visa, would this still be true? Given the cost, this would make the passport loss even more distressing than usual.

I am sure immigration would reinstate the visa since it it is based upon the the Thai Elite membership. Losing a 5 year visa is a lot different than losing a visa valid for only one year.

[Felt 35]

I allow me a question regarding the Thai Elite visa as follows. Would it still be necessary to do the annual extensions at Immigration on a a similar way as with a retirement visa (extension) if one hold a 20 year Thai Elite Visa?

Thanks, Felt

[DUS]

6 minutes ago, Felt 35 said:

I allow me a question regarding the Thai Elite visa as follows. Would it still be necessary to do the annual extensions at Immigration on a a similar way as with a retirement visa (extension) if one hold a 20 year Thai Elite Visa?

Thanks, Felt

Yes and no .....

 

Yes, if you don’t leave the country before the end of the 365 stay you would need to apply for an extension.

 

No, you wouldn’t need 800k or so in the  bank account for the extension. 

[BritTim]

6 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

I allow me a question regarding the Thai Elite visa as follows. Would it still be necessary to do the annual extensions at Immigration on a a similar way as with a retirement visa (extension) if one hold a 20 year Thai Elite Visa?

Thanks, Felt

As @DUS advised, since the Thailand Elite (20-year option) consists of 5-year multiple entry visas, with a one-year permission to stay on each entry you only need to apply for an extension if you stay more than 365 consecutive days in Thailand, and it is a very easy process to get the extension. At the end of 5 years, a new visa is inserted into your passport. I assume, as with the initial visa, this is done at Chaeng Wattana or at the airport with the assistance of the Thailand Elite staff.